Seattle, Vitamin D, and MS; and why you should care

I know it's an old stereotype: That Seattle, or Washington in general is one of the dreariest, sunless places in the US.  And to some extent, that's true (except during the Summer).

<----This is a photo I took of a lake about 1 hour North from Seattle during the summer; not a cloud in the sky, but plenty on the ground.

While many people know the association between depression and sunlight, not many people are aware that the Pacific North West, including Oregon, have some of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, and that this might be linked to the lack of sunlight.

Lets start simply: what is MS? As defined by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
"Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease." 

How high are our rates?  "Studies show that these RDA levels are insufficient and suggest that 90% of people in the northern hemisphere are Vitamin D deficient." (Retrieved from HERE).

The North West Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has spent plenty of money on adds around and in Seattle touting the North West as having some of the highest rates of MS in the world...

According to a Seattle Times February 2008 article titled "Does Our Lack Of Sun Put Your Health In Danger," blood samples from 7 million military personnel (and I'm impressed they had this many samples to draw from) showed that, "...people with the highest levels of vitamin D were 62 percent less likely to develop MS than those with the lowest concentrations" 

What's more, it seems that the current daily-intake suggested for Vit. D at 600 IU (International Units) might be too low, and according to the Vitamin D Council, daily intake currently is suggested at 5000 IU a DAY!  We're currently only suggesting 1/8th of the actual daily recommended level.

So why should you care?  Vitamin D isn't just linked to depression and MS, but also Osteoporosis (Vit D helps the body absorb calcium), Ricketts, Pain, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Increased rate of all-cause mortality, Autoimmune diseases, and Decreased strength (got all of this from HERE)

Luckily, Vitamin D is cheap and easy to come by if you can find it: "Exposure for 20-30 minutes to direct sunlight to areas of the body WITHOUT sunscreen (SPF>8) will produce about 10,000IU’s" (found here), and certain foods such as Salmon and Portabello Mushrooms are high in Vitamin D (and now I have the munchies).

There you have it; why you should care, how it can effect you, a couple of cool stats, and the basis for an awesome supper entree.